SAN MARCOS, Texas — The Bobcats fell in four sets to the California Golden Bears in day two of the Bobcat Classic on Saturday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Golden Bears started out on a 5-0 run in set one that the Bobcats couldn't overcome. A strong hitting performance from Cal freshman Maggie Li and senior Sam Taumoepeau that brought them six kills apiece was too much for the Bobcats to recover from. Set one went in favor of the visitors, 25-16.
The Bobcats found some rhythm in set two that saw them to a 25-18 victory. The Bobcats hit .370 in set two, a high of any of the sets on the night. This was highlighted by a .800 (4-0-5) set from
Bailey Hanner, and a .556 (5-0-9) set from
KJ Johnson. The two combined for 12 points on the set and lead the Bobcats to the set win.
Hanner sits 10
th overall in the Sun Belt Conference for her season hitting percentage.
Set three was where
Samantha Wunsch found a good slew of hits. She had four kills for a .375 hitting percentage, leading the team. The Golden Bears team hitting percentage of .361 was too much, though, and the visitors took set three 25-17.
The fourth set was a more even-keeled affair. The Bobcats found themselves down towards the midway point of the fourth set, but performances off the bench from freshmen
Zenai Jethroe and
Brooke Bentke put some life into the Bobcats offense. After pulling things back within two points, by a 24-22 score line, the Bobcats fell just short after an attack by Bentke landed just narrowly out of bounds, Cal would take the set.
WHAT HEAD COACH SEAN HUIET SAID: "It's just frustrating with how we're battling. It's my job to have us ready to go. I know we're down Ryann [Torres] but I don't like the injury excuse. It's showing how critical Ryann is to our team, but it's going to be a learning experience because we need to be ready. On championship level teams, one person can't make or break your team. We need everyone else to step up and do their job."
MATCH NOTES
- The Bobcats sit to 4-3 on the year with its loss to Southeastern Louisiana. The Bobcats have a 2-1 record at home.
- Graduate KJ Johnson had her third double-double as a Bobcat with 14 kills and 15 digs. Johnson has the second highest kills/set average of any Sun Belt Conference player.
- Head coach Sean Huiet sits at 79 career wins, with a 79-31 record in his four-year tenure.
STAT LEADERS
SCORES BY SET
- 1st | California 25, Texas State 16
- 2nd | Texas State 25, California 18
- 3rd | California 25, Texas State 17
- 4th | California 25, Texas State 22
UP NEXT:
The Bobcats will close the 2023 Bobcat Classic with an in-state foe, Abilene Christian, Saturday evening. The match is slated for a 4 p.m. start time inside Strahan Arena and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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